Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Size differences: antique cushion 2.37ct vs. RB 1.81ct

D

dumbo

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 5, 2015
Messages
222
Hi,

Still searching for the perfect diamond: my GF looked at some diamonds, really liked the uniqueness of a Cushion, although she loved the RB as well. Said the latter looks pretty common, as everyone has it. I found an antique cushion for sale at a consignment dealer, 2.37ct, spread of 8.38x8.1mm, very fiery. Price-wise, it compares to a new RB, ideal cut, 1.81ct we were considering (spread of 7.79mm)

First off, do you think the size of antique cushion will be an issue: it is deeper; will it stick out further? She works in the medical industry and uses her hands quite a bit. Second will it look significantly larger, or about the same? I would like to get her a more impressive looking diamond if at all possible for the same price.
 
Does the antique cushion have a grading report? It would be impossible to know if it is priced fairly without that. You didn't give us the depth, so we can't tell you how high it will sit, but I doubt that would be an issue. The main issue is, is it well cut, and what color and clarity grade is it?
 
Well, it is antique cushion, so probably not that well cut for modern standards, I would think.


From the AGS report:

Measurements: 8.1 - 8.38 x 5.63 mm
Carat Weight: 2.372
Total Depth: 69.9%
Table: 47.2%
Girdle Description: Extremely Thin to Slightly Thick,
Culet: Very Large
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Fair
Color Grade: AGS 3.0 (J)
Clarity Grade: AGS 6 (SI2)
Fluorescence: Negligible
Comments:







Table: 47.2%
Crown Angle: 41.9%
Crown Height: 21.4%
Girdle: , 0.0% to 4.7%
Pavilion Angle: 44.9
Pavilion Depth: 46.6%
Star Length: 46%
Lower Girdle Length: 56%
Total Depth: 69.9%
Culet Verbose: Very Large
 
That is great that it is AGS graded! Do you also have a magnified photo of the stone? There certainly are beautifully cut antique cushions. I hope this is one of them. If not, you can find others that are! But I might be concerned about the SI2 clarity grade. What are the inclusions listed on the report?
 
Did the color of the cushion seem to have too much tint to you? In that size, I would think an AGS grade J color would certainly show some warmth, which some prefer but others do not.
 
AGS J is not so easy to find in an antique stone! There are soooo many antique stones that are below J! I am color sensitive but I have seen m2b's AVC (newly cut antique cushion) in AGS J color, and I would take that stone in a split second! But that is my limit. I like I or higher in rounds. The cut is the more important factor. If it is beautifully cut, the color will likely not be a problem.
 
The setting has to do more with how comfortable she is able to don gloves than the stone size. My wife found it more difficult to change gloves and performing tasks when her setting was a halo and not a solitaire that was low-set. There will be a rather decent visual impact of the cushion compared to the round based on the dimension difference. Do you mind posting photos of the diamond?
 
There is nothing better, more romantic, more unique, than an old cut stone and the size you're looking at is ideal-- perfect, really. Depending on how its set, you can easily work with this scale of stone by keeping it nice and low.

Grace is an excellent guide. Ask her about how clean the stone is and perhaps show it in more diffused lighting, which is how it should really be judged. The faceting is lovely and the slightly irregular shape gives it extra charm for me. It's fantastic.

Good luck-- I hope you find your old cut magic.
 
That is great that it is from Grace since as RandG said, she can tell you all about the stone. I will tell you that that stone is going to appear to be more round than a cushion because it does in Grace's pictures. I have seen better cushion stones on her site and will try and look later to see if there are any. I love the charm of an old cut stone, but that doesn't mean that some aren't better than others. I'd go for a well cut OEC before a less well cut semi-round cushion, personally.

I do think most e-rings will be difficult to manage with gloves unless it is a low, bezel set one. It probably would be best (most realistic) to not wear the e-ring to work. I have a nurse friend considering this now, and she just told me that she is probably going to wear a low 5 stone diamond band to work and save her diamond solitaire wedding set for other times.
 
I dig it. But does your lady like it?
 
I am not sure what you budget is, but I will show you some stones I like on Grace's site. Most of her stones are not consignment, just so you know. I do think you should not go from modern cut to antique without consulting your future fiancee, though.

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/loose-diamonds/2-01-to-3-00/2-28ct-old-european-cut-diamond-gia-j-si2#.VNktQ514pcQ

I would not recommend L color for a surprise engagement ring because you have to love the color, but this is an example of an excellent cushion stone and she does get these in periodically. This stone is very tempting to me, personally! :love:

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/loose-diamonds/2-01-to-3-00/loose-diamond-2-01cts-and-larger#.VNkuEJ14pcQ

I think she has a lot of new things that will be on the site soon. I would really make sure she is into antique stones and jewelry before pursuing this, but wait and see the new additions before deciding on a stone that is perhaps not the best.
 
Thank you all. I will consult with her a bit more.....
 
Looks like a beautiful stone. Is it eye clean at SI2? I also like the OEC diamondseeker found for you as well. With antiques I think a J color is fine, particularly in an antique cushion. But get your girlfriend's opinion for sure.
 
dumbo|1423530640|3830017 said:
She loved the idea of an antique stone. Mostly that I would put a lot of thought into it though, rather than just ordering something after spending 20 minutes looking.

It looked to be eye clean.

If I were to get a modern cushion, it would be something like this:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.52-carat-j-color-si1-clarity-sku-438680
Click to expand...

Wise girl to know it takes time to find the best available antique stone! ;))

The modern cushion looks good, but I wouldn't go lower than I color in those. I don't think the J tint will look as good in a modern stone as it does in an antique. In any event, if you do go in that direction, you would need to narrow your selection to three stones and ask them for ASET images.

Have you looked at the newly cut antique cushions from Good Old Gold (August Vintage Cushions) and Victor Canera (Canera Antique Cushions)? Those can be a nice choice for those who want great light return and excellent cut but still an antique style cut. I don't recommend those to someone who specifically wants an antique stone, but since you are looking at modern and antique, you may as well look at the new antiques! (My avatar pic is an example of an August Vintage Round.)
 
[/quote]Wise girl to know it takes time to find the best available antique stone! ;))

The modern cushion looks good, but I wouldn't go lower than I color in those. I don't think the J tint will look as good in a modern stone as it does in an antique. In any event, if you do go in that direction, you would need to narrow your selection to three stones and ask them for ASET images.

Have you looked at the newly cut antique cushions from Good Old Gold (August Vintage Cushions) and Victor Canera (Canera Antique Cushions)? Those can be a nice choice for those who want great light return and excellent cut but still an antique style cut. I don't recommend those to someone who specifically wants an antique stone, but since you are looking at modern and antique, you may as well look at the new antiques! (My avatar pic is an example of an August Vintage Round.)[/quote]


Thank you. I did love the 2.28ct, that was my other choice, but the price difference is significant, a bit more than I can spend at this point. Gotta keep it under $14k. I consulted my GF, showed her some pics of several on the site, as well a couple of nice modern cushions when we were window shopping at Tiffany. She didn't have a preference on the antique cushion vs. semi cushion vs. OEC. Loved them all, and said the modern cushion was nice, but a little to bright and bling-y, trophy-wife-ish for her taste, she wouldn't want to go over 1.5ct in a modern, but liked the bigger size of an antique diamond as it had some personality.

FYI, she has a 5.5 ring size, is 5 foot 9, so she can probably carry a larger diamond well.

I did look at GOG. They really didn't have anything in that price range; everything seemed to be sold out that was around $14k and J in color.
 
I think J is fine in a very well cut modern cushion-- at least for ME. The tint is very slight in the ones I've seen. Of course, none of those have been over 2 carats.

Still and all, I think that color is such a personal thing the best thing is to have people go see what their own color tolerances are.

We can only say what OUR personal color tolerances and our opinions are. The only people whose opinions and color tolerances matter are the wearer and the purchaser's.
 
I just wanted to chime in from a medical perspective ie glove wearing, as i was toying with an upgrade about a year ago....

From our updated infection control procedures (in Australia, and i am sure in most western world medical situations) :
glove wearing and rings are a no go... even with plain wedding bands. The thought is that powder or low powder latex or nitril gloves can harbour (your own) bacteria under the band over time. if not washed thoroughly, there is that chance that your hands are not clean from patient to patient. To be realistically, how can one clean under the band/rings, unless you take the rings off. In the instance for engagement rings with solitaires/bezels/halos there are more areas where the bugs can live. Given the high nature of these settings (some higher than others), there is the integrity of the gloves that will come into question.

Well, one could argue that the bugs under the ring is my own bugs... that is true... But, if the integrity of the glove is compromised, there is just cause for the patient to be concerned with potential infection from the clinician. Remember that contamination goes both way- clinician and patient... it is a 2 way street. If there is a report from the patient....this means lots of paper work to be completed... :-(


I dont want to put a negative slant on this thread about finding THE stone, but be aware of the glove and ring wearing situation. There may be a policy set up at work where it is ok to wear rings under gloves. That is something that she needs to find out.

Yes, it is sad that i dont get to wear my rings all day, but it sure makes the trip TO and FROM work more exciting.


As for the stones- me "loves" antique stones... so that would be my biased choice... and you have been given some great advice from our experienced posters DS/Gypsy/RandG/ :wavey:
 
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top